The whirlwind!

Well, I thought my folks would be exhausted when they got here yesterday but no sooner had we gotten back to the apartment than Dad threw his suitcase down and said, "So are we going out for a drink or what?" and out we went. They didn't even stay for long enough to take their coats off!!! Dad had done some research too, so although I made some suggestions about where to go he brought us all to a place called "Mulligans" where, he had been told, they are supposed to serve the best Guinness. Mulligans is in a rather grotty looking street but as soon as you walk in, the atmosphere hits you in the face. Does that sound odd? I mean it in a good way. I love the sound of a hundred people in conversation. We had a pint of Guinness each and then went for some dinner in the Porter House pub. All the way from Mulligans to the Porter House, Mom's going: "Dublin's so big! We're going to get lost! Look at all these people!"

We're from a very small community and while I've gotten used to being in bigger places, I guess the city takes some getting used to. She will get her head around it soon. Today, I went into college late after getting some groceries with Mom and of course we went to my favourite greengrocer. That guy is hilarious.

"This must be your sister," he says when we walk in. Well, of course Mom thought that was great. They got to talking and next thing you know, we're all invited to his place to have a drink with him and his wife on Stephen's Day!

"I'm so glad I brought some of my partridge berry jam," Mom says when we walk out of the shop, "because I wouldn't feel right going to someone's house without bringing something.

Mom brought two suitcases. One is full of clothes and the other is full of food!! I'm pretty sure she wasn't supposed to carry all that stuff into Ireland but I'm not complaining. She'd even sneaked in some frozen cod tongues in a special bag...and they were still frozen!

"I'm not going back with an empty suitcase," she says, "so you'd better take me shopping."

Not having seen them for a while I guess I'd started to forget how energetic and sociable Mom and Dad are. I think that I'll be the one who gets tired, not them!!!

Now I have to go -- I'm meeting them outside the gates of Trinity so's to show them around college and introduce them to some of my friends (not my boyfriend though -- still not sure what to do about that." And Dad, of course, wants me to take him to the college bar!